More About Woods Hole

The charming New England village of Woods Hole lies at the far southwestern tip of Cape Cod, with Buzzards Bay to its west and Vineyard Sound to its east. Because of its excellent harbor, it became a center for whaling, shipping, and fishing prior to its dominance today by tourism and marine research.

Woods Hole is a world center for marine, biomedical, and environmental science. It houses two large, private organizations: the Marine Biological Laboratory and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. A total of 49 Nobel Laureates have taught, taken courses, or done research at the Marine Biological Laboratory.

Woods Hole is a small village and is easily strolled. In the summer, you can hop aboard the “WHOOSH” trolley or ride the “Shining Seas Bike Path,” which runs along the ocean and through pine forests from Woods Hole to Falmouth.

The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority provides the only year-round passenger and vehicle ferry service to the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

Nearby Falmouth Harbor offers protected docking and moorings to boats of all sizes and has easy access to the open ocean. Fishing charter boats and ferries for Martha's Vineyard also depart from this harbor. Canoeing and kayaking through marshes, rivers, and ponds are popular water sports.

Old Silver Beach in North Falmouth is one of the Cape's prettiest beaches. This beach is especially good for small children, since a sandbar keeps one end of its waters shallow and creates tide pools brimming with sea life.

Falmouth's historic Village Green is surrounded by stately captains' homes. Evening concerts are held in the summer at the Harbor Marine Park band shell.

The Falmouth Road Race in August is world famous. The route for the 7.1-mile race runs along the coast from Woods Hole to Falmouth.